Alone with Materials

Enjoy a virtual studio visit to CAROLYN SWISZCZ)'s home studio in West Saint Paul, Minnesota and hear about the inspiration she draws from Granny Donuts, a local bakery shop that’s temporarily closed due to the coronavirus threat.

Since 2007 Carolyn has created variations of the shop's facade, interior, and signs. Small businesses are a frequent subject of her mixed-media paintings, and she expresses her peculiar attachment to them using various printmaking and collage techniques. "Art-making helps me find mystery and purpose in daily life," she says.

CAROLYN SWISZCZ

Born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Carolyn attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she earned a BFA in printmaking in 1994. Carolyn’s work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Drawing Center, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery in New York, and Steven Zevitas Gallery in Boston. She also publishes a bi-monthly mail-order zine, Zebra Cat Zebra. Carolyn lives with her husband, photographer Wilson Webb, their daughter, and two cats Astrid and Pogo.